Shirley Cohen

Cohen, Shirley ALBANY Shirley Cohen (nee Muraven) passed away on June 9, 2017, at Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home. She was born in Albany, the eldest daughter of Saul and Jennie Muraven. Shirley attended New York University and later went on to become part of the first class of graduating social workers to get their MSW from SUNY Albany. She worked for many years at Parsons Child and Family Center and was highly admired for skills as a social worker. Shirley valued her Jewish heritage and culture and loved speaking Yiddish. She and her sister, Evelyn (Hagar) BenBarak attended Workmans Circle Yiddish school in the afternoon which reinforced her love of Yiddish. She met her husband, Sammy on a subway ride back from a labor Zionist rally in Brooklyn. They moved back to Albany and married. Shirley was an avid reader and music lover and she and Sam enjoyed attending concerts, theater, and visiting museums. She was a generous supporter of organizations that supported social services, The Arts and Jewish and cultural programs. In recent years, Shirley ran a Yiddish speaking group at the JCC. There is no one who could make a better pie. No one. She particularly loved cooking for friends and family. She doted on her grandchildren. Shirley became a bit of a local celebrity for her appearance in the documentary "the Neighborhood that Disappeared." She was the best of "Bubbies," neighbors and friends. She was predeceased by her beloved Samuel. She is survived by her daughters, Mira, Naomi, and Paula; grandchildren, Kate, Jessica, Amy, Becky, Adam, Lilah, Matthew, Joshua and Julian; and great-grandchildren, Jonah, Maya, Zach, Lara, Brody and Penelope. Services will be held at the Temple Israel Cemetery on Western Avenue in Guilderland on Monday, June 12, at 11 a.m. Family and friends are welcome back to the house afterwards until 4 p.m. The family will not be sitting shiva. In Shirley's memory, donations may be sent to The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass. and to the Southern Poverty Law Center. For directions or to leave a condolence message for the family, please visit, levinememorialchapel.com